Phases Watching Endymion
by The Third Gerrideb
Summary: Hate and love, saving and destroying, all the many phases of life for Edward, Jacob and Bella. When Jacob is attacked, Edward saves him, only to end up needing to be saved himself...
1. Chapter 1

_Please Note: I've seen all the movies, but I've just started to read the books. If there are any inconsistencies…sorry about that..But! Hope you enjoy and if you do, I hope you review _

Jacob wouldn't be able to prove it meant anything, but the attack came the moment, the exact moment he was thinking of Edward. Glass broke, wood splintered, the sound of the television cut off with a horrible crack, a strangled cry.

"Dad!" Jacob called, running.

Whoever they had been, they were gone, but what they had been was suddenly obvious as Jacob saw his father screaming, writhed on the floor, his face twisted in pain and a bloody bite mark visible on his throat.

For a moment, Jacob just stood there, too shocked to move, too shocked to _think_. Then, the next minute, he swooped down, picked up the seemingly weightless and smashed figure of his father and ran.

How he got from the reservation to Bella's house would remain a mystery he didn't care to think about in the years that came. All that mattered was that she was there, and _he_ was there. He could see him now-that _leech_-standing in the warm, safe light of Bella's room. He was watching him. "Help him!" Jacob yelled, but it came out a breathless whisper. The "please" was a swallowed, burning breath. Edward hesitated for a moment, studying Jacob's face, his own face disbelieving and inexplicably, furious.

"Jacob? Oh my god…Jacob!" Bella, who had woken and saw him through the window, beneath the trees. She seemed to appear at his side and it was she who finally broke whatever reverie held Edward still. "Edward…Please….He's…"

"Changing." Edward said as he finally made him way to stand beside Bella, to kneel beside the older man.

"What do you mean, _changing_?" Jacob said.

"Edward, you can…Can't you…?."

"I might kill him…"

"You won't. I know you won't."

Billy Clearwater gasped and Jacob's heart _thrumped_ in his own ears. "Save him." He said. "Whatever you have to do. He's dead if you don't..."

"He won't be dead…" Edward began.

"He won't live through it." They paused and Jacob stared straight into those black pits the Cullens called eyes. His father wouldn't let himself live as…as one of them. Jacob swallowed and whispered. "Please. I'm begging you."

There might have been the splinter of a second where Edward weighed the decision. There might have been a breath of time when Jacob saw understanding in his eyes, however black and terrible they were. Then, the moment passed and Edward had fastened himself to the dying man's throat.

Jacob watched, maybe fascinated, maybe horrified, certainly helpless…and furious…and for once not at the Cullens…not even Edward. It hadn't been they who had attacked Billy Clearwater. Jacob could smell them… He could _smell_ them running through the forest, _further and further away_….

"Jacob." Bella said and took his hand. "I'm so sorry. He'll be OK. Edward's…done this before."

"I know." Jacob growled.

"No. I mean…"

Jacob was glad she didn't finish. He didn't think he really wanted to know. He had noticed the marks on her wrist. He remembered when she had been recovering in the hospital from…blood loss. Watching Edward suddenly wrest himself away from Billy, watching that bloody mouth and white teeth emerge back into view, he really didn't want to know.

"Will he be…?" Bella asked.

Edward stood, half curled in on himself and Jacob noticed there was something weird about his eyes. Then he realized it. They were red.

"Edward…?" said Bella, taking a step towards him.

"He'll be fine…" Edward managed after a moment. "Bella…call an ambulance…and Charlie. Now…please…_Now_"

"Alright…." Bella said, hesitantly, but the way he wouldn't look at her, the way he seemed to be holding himself back finally made her go.

Jacob, in the meanwhile, had gone to his knees, pressing his head to his father's chest. There it was – life and more so…humanity…all in that beat that seemed so small. "Thank you." Jacob said raising his eyes to the vampire. "Please make sure nothing happens to him or Bella for me."

"Where are you going?" Edward said, still doubled over, voice strangely weak.

Jacob didn't mean to smile, but really, what twisted onto his lips was too sharp to be called such a thing. "Hunting."


	2. Chapter 2

Jacob ran.

For him, the forest wasn't so much of trees and shadows as stronger and more ephemeral elements-smells, tastes, sounds. The darkness, the thickness here didn't matter. He could smell them, he could taste them on the air, hear them whisper…and they were close.

Should he have waited for the pack? No. They were on their way. Should he have listened when Edward tried to call him back?

No.

The vampires he now sensed were new. He had never come across them before, so why had they attacked? Why were they _here_? Why did they slow down when they must have known Jacob was coming? _I don't care_ Jacob thought and took a step closer.

In his mind suddenly he heard Edward, remembering the way the leech had urged him to wait. He had considered briefly. Edward Cullen looked like hell. His face was drawn and tense, _pained_, almost. He seemed to struggle to speak and seemed only to will the words out because they were important. _It's dangerous_ he had said. _You don't know who they are…_

Volturi.

Edward was right-Jacob had no idea who that was, but it didn't matter.

They were right _there_-within reach. All he had to do was reach out his jaws, open his mouth, bring down his sharp teeth…

And he almost did it.

But what his mouth ended up closing on was only air. Where the three vampires had been was just the echo of their smell. _Where are you?_ he roared in his mind, turning and twisting his massive wolf body to trace them.

"Here I am." Said a sweet voice and Jacob was turning towards it when something hit him hard and he was down. A second before the vampires closed in and a moment before the darkness followed, he could have sworn he heard a voice, in the distance, calling his name...

Much later, or maybe it was just seconds after, he opened his eyes and Edward stood over him. Jacob wasn't connecting the voice that called his name to the calm face gazing down at him. He wasn't connecting anything at the moment, except the fact that he had shifted back into a human and that the world consisted now of only two things: pain and Edward Cullen.

"They didn't just attack you. They bit you. You might die before you can change, though…" Edward was saying and then that same thoughtful look crossed his face. Later, Jacob would know without a doubt the leech was thinking of leaving him there to die. He realized they both would, at least, not have minded that alterative, but it was impossible. What Jacob realized later was the reason Edward did it wasn't to save him, but Bella…

The thought wouldn't have completely comfort at that time, anyway, when Edward Cullen, the leech, knelt beside him, brought his mouth to his bleeding throat…

And drank his blood.


	3. Chapter 3

More than a small part –actually a really, really big part of Jacob was wishing that when he woke up, it would be to Bella's face. She would smile at him, and hold his hand, tell him how glad she was he had pulled through because she had finally realized her true feelings, how much Jacob meant to her and how afraid she'd been that she'd lost him forever…

So, least to say, he was a little more than slightly disappointed to wake up to Carlisle Cullen smiling gently at him. "How do you feel?" He asked..

Blinking, Jacob replied with the first thing that popped into his head. "Alive…"

"Good." The vampire doctor said and patted his shoulder. The pack has agreed to let us watch over you-at least until we were sure you'd wake up…"

"Wake up human, you mean."

Carlisle shook his head. "Wake up human…and wake up at all."

"You lost a lot of blood." A voice said from the doorway and Jacob looked up to see Edward, leaning against the doorframe. He looked tired, thinner, somehow…and his eyes were still…

"How long are you eyes going to stay like that?" Asked Jacob.

"Does it matter?" Edward sighed.

"Until the human blood leaves his system." Carlisle supplied as Jacob eyed the younger vampire until Edward finally smiled at his glares. "As for you…They said nothing to you?"

"No." Jacob said.

"Do you know why they'd come onto the reservation? Do you know why they would attack your father…or you?"

Biting back a long and scathing reply to this, Jacob settled on a shorter, more appreciative monosyllable-the Cullens _had_ saved his father and him last night…and they might be able to help him track the strange vampires down. "No." He said at last.

"Have you ever heard of the Volturi before last night?"

"No."

"Are werewolves susceptible to vampire venom?"

"No. I mean…I've heard we're supposed to be immune. I've never heard of a werewolf turning into a vampire before…"

"You were almost the first one." Carlisle said with a smile and Jacob realized he meant it the same way his dad had praised golden stars when Jacob was in elementary school. Jacob laughed at that and it was almost a warm sound.

"I guess so…" His voice sobered. "Is my dad OK?"

"He's better. Your family is there with him-as are Charlie and…"

"Bella."

"Yes. And Bella." Carlisle hesitated. "She can come visit later. I'm sure she will want to see you."

"Yeah…I guess." Jacob knew she would come-they were "Friends" if nothing else. Of course, thinking like that didn't help anything and getting annoyed at Edward helped nothing, but it didn't stop him from doing those two exact things just then. "What about you?" He said, nodding at Edward. "Are you going to be able to handle Bella being here? You looked like you wanted to eat her up last night."

Edward just stared at him with those new red eyes.

Carlisle answered. "I think we have nothing to worry about. You get some rest and don't worry about Bella. We can all handle it, We are, after all, civilized, are we not?"

Jacob laughed. He wasn't sure if the vampire was joking or not, but Carlisle suddenly smiled back at him. As for the thought that Jacob might actually like this Cullen, he attributed that to shock and blood loss.

That day, Edward remained behind to watch over the young werewolf when the older vampire went to work. Carlisle said nothing to Edward as he passed him, patted him on the shoulder, then suddenly stiffened, hesitated as if he had made a sudden observation. But, in the end, he left and Edward, wearily, sat beside Jacob.

For a while, conversation was nil, eye contact was nil, save the occasional glare on Jacob's part, or side-long glance when he noticed Edward's eyelids seemed to keep drooping down. Curiosity finally broke the silence. "Are you tired? I thought your kind can't sleep."

"I'm not tired." Edward insisted.

"Right. You're just falling asleep."

"No. I am not."

"Whatever. Why aren't you at school?"

"The same reason you're not."

"I don't think so."

"Believe me, the two are serendipitously related."

"That's a big word for you, isn't it?"

"Sorry. I forgot I'll keep things simple for you. I'm here because of you."

"Can't someone else…?"

Edward almost smiled. "No. No one else would."

Jacob frowned. There was an insult buried in that, he was sure, but then Edward's eyes drooped again.. "See – there! I told you, you're tired."

"You're the tired one. You've slept two days straight."

"My kind heal fast."

"Right. Well, you _are _alive, but you look like that's a surprise. _And_ your kind also aren't affected by vampire venom, right?"

"Oh." They both went quiet and Jacob concentrated on the words, because if he took his eyes off them for one second he wouldn't say it. Truth he told, he'd rather get beat up and almost turned into a vampire again rather than actually say it. "Edward….?" He began, but to his surprise, as he had been mustering his verbal troops, the leech had quietly leaned back in his chair…and fallen asleep.

Jacob snorted and instead of _thank you_ he got to say, "See? I told you so."


	4. Chapter 4

Jacob didn't get to see Bella that night. However, what he did get to see was the strongest, strangest reaction to someone sleeping he'd ever seen in his life.

All he knew was that he'd been dozing and woke when the door knob to the room had rattled. In walked Carlisle Cullen, who one moment looked calm and controlled enough until he spotted Edward lightly snoring in his chair. Jacob had jumped at the way Carlisle had grabbed Edward, shook him, called his name as if he'd wasn't suspected of sleeping, but of being dead.

"Edward! Wake up! Edward!" He cried.

"Carlisle?" Edward said in a sleepy voice. "What happened…?"

"Dude. You were asleep." Jacob started, intending to say more, but both Cullens had turned to stare at him as if he had just said he had observed Edward's head was wired with explosives about to go off so he stopped. "You slept all day." He ended tamely.

"All day?" Carlisle said.

"I couldn't have…" said Edward with a defensive glare at Jacob.

"You did. I don't know why it's such a big deal, but you did. So did I."

"But you aren't a vampire." Explained Carlisle and again came that strange silence where the two just…_stared_…at each other until Carlisle, obviously unsatisfied, nodded. Jacob knew Edward could read minds. It was still weird to see.

"So, what, are you sick?" He asked Edward.

"Vampire don't get sick." Said Carlisle, but he was uncertain and they all heard it.

"Fine. He's not sick, he doesn't sleep. I mean, I don't get what the big deal is. It's not like he's going to _die_ or anything."

Serendipitously, just at that instant, as if on queue, Edward's eyes rolled back in his head and as the older vampire and the young werewolf watched, too surprised to react, Edward…fainted.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Jacob's turn to watch over Edward, then. That royally sucked-at least on one hand, but on the other hand, he had no choice. On the metaphorical, and under more normal circumstances, _lacking_ third hand, he felt glad.

Until he thought of Bella and the even more rare fourth hand came into play. It felt almost…guilty.

Carlisle had drilled him about everything that had happened the night before, going over and over every detail, but Jacob had nothing to offer and had been too tired after to stop himself from snapping, "You're the bloodsucking doctor, not me, I don't know what happened! Why don't you find the Volturi and asked them?"

And Carlisle had left, whether or not to follow through on his suggestion, Jacob had no idea and he was too tired to care.

"Whatever. You're not even technically alive." Jacob grumbled to the unmoving figure laying on the cot across the room. "Leech."

That night, Jacob woke to see a woman sitting beside Edward, stroking his hair. The way she looked down on him was worried, true, but more so…motherly. Slowly, he remembered she was 's wife and Edward's adopted mother. Not that Jacob really understood how that worked or anything….

She turned then and Jacob went still. She smiled at him. "It's alright. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."

Jacob nodded and worked up enough spit to say, "Is he…OK?"

"I don't know." Her forehead creased and a very sad look touched her eyes, her face. "But you are recovering. You need your sleep. I promise, I'll be so quiet you won't hear me." She smiled again.

Jacob nodded and closed his eyes and she was right. He didn't hear her, not at all, through the rest of the night.

That morning, watching Carlisle examine Edward, still asleep, Jacob, half seriously, said, "Won't drinking his blood help…I mean, is it the venom? He drank it, right? Can't you just…you know, suck it out?"

Carlisle smiled. "I don't think so," and then suddenly added, so smoothly it was as if they'd been leading up to it, "Bella's here."

"Bella?" Jacob whispered and then he smelled her, wondering why he hadn't until now. He felt his heart twist. She had came the very next day for the leech. He'd been here for four days…But all that was easily forgotten as Bella entered the room, saw Edward sleeping so unnaturally and then she saw _him. _

"Jacob!" She cried. "Are you alright? I'm sorry I couldn't come, Charlie's convinced there's a serial killer in the forest. He wouldn't let me out of his sight…But maybe he just wanted some company…You dad was really badly hurt…but he's alright now. And…you look like you hurt, Jake."

_I do._ Jack wanted to say, but not for the reason she thought as she asked about Edward. Jacob just shrugged, he didn't know and Carlisle didn't know, but by late afternoon, they knew something had changed for the worse.

It was on the air, a perfume of an undeniably mortal odor: Death.

Jacob had no idea how Carlisle got Bella to go, but he eventually did. Jacob heard her cry until the sound was an aching cloud in the distance. When she was gone, Jacob watched Carlisle sit by his adopted son and stare at him. He seemed to weigh Jacob's suggestion and his eyes stared ponderously at Edward's neck…

"What if I could tell you what he was thinking?" Jacob suddenly asked.

"It would help, but knowing what he is feeling, physically, would be even more essential." Carlisle turned and saw the nervous, embarrassed look on the werewolf's face. "Do you mean you know?" He asked carefully.

Jacob slowly licked his lips and very intentionally pictured Bella in his mind until it was no longer a thought, or even an image. He pictured her until he could taste her and smell her, until she filled him up and overflowed. That was the only way he was going to bring himself to say this, to _do_ this. It didn't matter that Edward had saved his life-what mattered was Bella and saving her from heartache…or worse if Edward really did die. Jacob cleared his throat, then cleared it again. "Yeah…I mean…there's a way."

Carlisle was at his side in a blur. He took his hand. "How?"

Bella filling his mind, his body, his very soul, Jacob swallowed hard and said, "Have you ever heard about Imprinting?"

TO BE CONTINUED….


End file.
